Method and apparatus for applying viscous material

Abstract

By using an application unit having: a storage chamber for a viscous material; a discharge hole, for the viscous material, provided so as to communicate with the storage chamber, where a viscous-material feeding device for feeding the viscous material to the storage chamber is coupled to the application unit; and a discharge-pressure adjusting device for imparting a discharge pressure to the viscous material stored in the storage chamber, a screen mask having openings corresponding to the application object or the application object itself and the discharge hole of the application unit are brought into contact with each other, either the application unit and the screen mask or the application unit and the application object are moved relative to each other while the discharge pressure is imparted to the viscous material in the storage chamber, and the viscous material is applied onto the application object while the storage chamber is replenished at all times with the viscous material by the viscous-material feeding device with a pressure smaller than the discharge pressure imparted by the discharge-pressure adjusting device.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An apparatus for applying a viscous material, said apparatus comprising: 
       an apparatus main-body having a storage chamber for storing therein a viscous material in communication with a discharge hole;  
       a first viscous-material feeding device, placed at a first end of the storage chamber, for pressure-feeding the viscous material;  
       a second viscous-material feeding device, placed at a second end of the storage chamber, for pressure-feeding the viscous material;  
       an expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device which is placed in confrontation with an interior of the storage chamber or with the storage chamber, and which is to be expanded to adjust a discharge pressure when the viscous material stored in the storage chamber is pressurized and discharged;  
       a moving device for moving the apparatus main-body on an application object, relative to each other, along a plane parallel to an application surface of the application object when the viscous material is discharged; and  
       a flow-regulating member for, in a discharge of the viscous material, providing a stagnation point in a flow of the viscous material within the storage chamber generated during movement along the surface parallel to the application surface of the application object while the viscous material in the storage chamber is pressurized by the discharge-pressure adjusting device,  
       wherein each of the viscous-material feeding devices feeds the viscous material continuously by replacement of a viscous-material feed cartridge, and wherein in order that the replacement of the viscous-material feed cartridge is carried out on a front side of an operator, the viscous-material feed cartridge, if positioned on a rear side of the operator, is moved along the plane parallel to the application surface of the application object so as to be placed on the front side, while a printing operation for one piece of the application object is performed, and thereafter halted on the front side of the operator.  
     
     
       2. An apparatus for applying a viscous material, said apparatus comprising: 
       an apparatus main-body having a storage chamber for storing therein a viscous material in communication with a discharge hole;  
       viscous-material feeding devices placed at both ends of the storage chamber, respectively, for pressure-feeding the viscous material;  
       an expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device which is placed in confrontation with an interior of the storage chamber or with the storage chamber, and which is expandable to adjust a discharge pressure when the viscous material stored in the storage chamber is pressurized and discharged;  
       a moving device for moving the apparatus main-body on an application object, relative to each other, along a plane parallel to an application surface of the application object when the viscous material is discharged;  
       a plurality of blades placed in a lower part of the apparatus main-body so as to be opposed to each other with a constant slope; and  
       sealing materials placed in vicinities of both ends of the blades, wherein  
       the blades and the sealing materials of the apparatus main-body are brought into contact with the application object to flex the blades, thereby closing the storage chamber for the viscous material.  
     
     
       3. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 2 , wherein an angle to which the blades are flexed is 10° to 70°. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus for applying a viscous material, said apparatus comprising: 
       an apparatus main-body having a storage chamber for storing therein a viscous material in communication with a discharge hole;  
       viscous-material feeding devices for pressure-feeding the viscous material, said viscous-material feeding devices being placed at both ends of the storage chamber, respectively;  
       an expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device which is placed in confrontation with an interior of the storage chamber or with the storage chamber, and which is to be expanded to adjust a discharge pressure when the viscous material stored in the storage chamber is pressurized and discharged;  
       a moving device for moving the apparatus main-body on an application object, relative to each other, along a plane parallel to an application surface of the application object when the viscous material is discharged; and  
       an elevating-and-lowering driver device for elevating and lowering the apparatus main-body at least among a push-in origin position, a viscous-material feed position which is lower than the push-in origin position and at which the viscous material is fed, and a printing position which is lower than the push-in origin position and at which the viscous material is applied and printed onto the application object,  
       wherein a push-in amount of the apparatus main-body to the application object at the viscous-material feed position is larger than a push-in amount of the apparatus main-body to the application object at the printing position.  
     
     
       5. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 1 , wherein the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device comprises at least one bag that can be inflated and deflated. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 1 , wherein the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device comprises at least one flexible sheet that is connected to the apparatus main-body so as to form an inflatable and deflatable air chamber. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus main-body includes an air port in fluid communication with the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device. 
     
     
       8. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 2 , wherein said the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device comprises a bag that can be inflated and deflated. 
     
     
       9. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 2 , wherein said the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device comprises at least one flexible sheet that is connected to the apparatus main-body so as to form an inflatable and deflatable air chamber. 
     
     
       10. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 2 , wherein the apparatus main-body includes an air port in fluid communication with the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device. 
     
     
       11. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 4 , wherein said the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device comprises a bag that can be inflated and deflated. 
     
     
       12. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 4 , wherein said the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device comprises at least one flexible sheet that is connected to the apparatus main-body so as to form an inflatable and deflatable air chamber. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus for applying a viscous material according to  claim 4 , wherein the apparatus main-body includes an air port in fluid communication with the expandable discharge-pressure adjusting device.